Professor Gerald Allan Kerkut: 19th August 1927 – 6th March 2004.
Gerald Kerkut began his scientific career in Cambridge, graduating with a first class
degree in Natural Sciences (1945-1948). He then elected to remain at Cambridge for his
PhD (1948-1951), studying locomotion in starfish under the supervision of Professor Eric
Smith in the Department of Zoology. Gerald continued at Cambridge for a further three
years (1951-1954) as a junior fellow of his college, Pembroke. During this period he
studied the electrical activity of the gastropod central nervous system, initially selecting
slugs but due to problems of identification, changed to the garden snail, Helix aspersa. A
species he was to use for nearly 30 years.
In 1954 Gerald moved to the University of Southampton to take up a lectureship in
Animal Physiology within the Department of Zoology. Together with Professor Kenneth
A. Munday, Gerald established the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry in 1959
and in 1966 was appointed to the second chair of Physiology and Biochemistry. He
remained at Southampton throughout his academic life, retiring in 1992, when he was
appointed Emeritus Professor. Gerald continued an active association with the University
up until his death. Gerald was invited by a number of universities to become chairman of
their Zoology or Physiology departments but he always declined, preferring to remain at
Southampton.
Gerald Kerkut had a first class analytical mind, a prodigious capacity for hard work and
an extensive knowledge of the scientific literature. He was always ready to challenge
accepted dogma and this was very well illustrated in his inaugural lecture entitled ‘The
Missing Pieces’, delivered in December 1968 (Kerkut 1969). In this he reviewed his
research on a number of topics, including the variable ionic composition of neurones, the
role of the sodium-potassium pump in the maintenance of the resting potential, fast
orthodromic and slow antidromic axon transport and amino acids as transmitters.
Although much of his earlier research used the snail, Gerald also worked on insects
where he was interested in the effect of sudden temperature changes on the nervous
system. Using the cockroach leg preparation he observed that a sudden fall in temperature
resulted in a transient increase in activity. Intracellular recordings showed that a decrease
in temperature resulted in a depolarization of the membrane potential, which was
responsible for the transient increase in activity. Q-10 values for changes in membrane
potential of insect muscle were greater than predicted from the Nernst equation. This led
to his work on electrogenic metabolic pumps, summarised in his book with Barbara
York, ‘The Electrogenic Sodium Pump’ (Kerkut & York 1971). Gerald also employed
insect preparations for his research on glutamic acid as a transmitter and that certain
insect neurone cell bodies possessed overshooting action potentials, for example, the
octopamine-containing dorsal unpaired median (DUM) cells.
Having been a great advocate of the use of isolated invertebrate central nervous system
preparations Gerald turned his attention to isolated mammalian preparations in the late
1970s. In particular he developed the use of the isolated spinal cord in conjunction with
Jeff Bagust. Gerald was particularly interested in sensory integration in the dorsal horn of
the spinal cord. Although a great protagonist of isolated preparations Gerald always
stressed that observations using isolated preparations must always be related to the living
animal.
Gerald Kerkut was also very involved in the publication of scientific data both in terms of
books and journals. In the late 1950s he met Robert Maxwell, the founder of Pergamon
Press. They immediately formed an excellent rapport and Maxwell encouraged Gerald to
explore his idea of starting a journal in comparative physiology and biochemistry. To cut
a long story short this resulted in the publication of Comparative Biochemistry and
Physiology with its first number in 1960 and Gerald as co-editor with Bradley T. Scheer.
The journal proved a great success and eventually expanded into three sections, viz,
Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology. Gerald continued to edit the journal until
1994. Another of his editing successes was Progress in Neurobiology which he co-edited
with John Phillis. Gerald also edited a very successful series of monographs in Zoology
which were published by Pergamon Press. Gerald’s interest in publishing work on insects
is illustrated by his co-editing with Lawrence Gilbert in 1985 of the first edition of
Comprehensive Insect Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology. He was particularly
proud of the high standard of scholarship in these volumes.
Gerald was always interested in evolution and with Maxwell’s support published ‘The
Implications of Evolution’ in 1960 (Kerkut1960). In this he examined the problem of the
evolution and interrelationships of the animal phyla. This was a topic of lasting interest to
him and one to which he returned in a mini-review entitled ‘Possible Evolutionary
Futures for Mankind’ (Kerkut 1988). In 1988 a Festschrift was organised in Gerald’s
honour and the proceedings published as a special edition of Comp. Biochem. Physiol.
Gerald provided the opening chapter in which he reviewed his research career up to that
time (Kerkut 1989).
Gerald Kerkut enjoyed music, art and travel. He was an accomplished pianist and had an
extensive collection of art books. Up until 6-7 years ago Gerald travelled widely in the
Americas and the Far East. Gerald enjoyed teaching and interacting with undergraduates
and postgraduates. Many will retain enduring memories of his humour and concerned
interest in their welfare. During his active research period Gerald trained over 80
postgraduates and their success will provide a lasting legacy to his memory.
Kerkut, G.A. (1960) The Implications of Evolution; pp 174; Pergamon Press, Oxford,
UK.
Kerkut, G.A. (1969) The Missing Pieces; pp 15; University of Southampton,
Southampton, UK.
Kerkut, G.A. (1988) Possible Evolutionary Futures for Mankind. Comp. Biochem.
Physiol. 90A, 5-10.
Kerkut, G.A. (1989) Studying the Isolated Central Nervous System; A Report on 35
Years: More Inquisitive than Aquisitive. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 93A, 9-24.
Kerkut, G.A. & York, B. (1971) The Electrogenic Sodium Pump; pp182; Scientechnica,
Bristol, UK.